


A Multitude of Smiles

by stillusesapencil



Category: BuzzFeed Multiplayer - Fandom, Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas, F/M, Fluff, Ice Skating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:29:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21792505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stillusesapencil/pseuds/stillusesapencil
Summary: As they clean and store their skates, Kelsey says, “Hey. I’m Kelsey.” She offers him a winning smile, one that she hope compensates for the sweat clinging to her temples and neck.The guy looks up, anddear godwhat a smile. It’s bright and toothy and wide, and he says, “I’m Ryan.”
Relationships: Ryan Bergara/Kelsey Impicciche
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9
Collections: RareBuzzShips Holiday Event





	A Multitude of Smiles

**Author's Note:**

> Once upon a time, I swore I'd never write rpf. Look how far I've come. 
> 
> I'd also never have guess that *this* would be the first rpf I'd write, but you know. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Usually, there’s no one at the ice rink when Kelsey gets there. She goes for the early bird session and has the whole Zamboni-fresh rink to herself. Maybe there’s another figure skater, practicing a routine, but usually, it’s just her. Today, however, she has company, company she’s never seen before. And he’s no figure skater. 

From her vantage point on the bench, still lacing her figure skates, she eyes the stranger. He’s got on hockey skates and athletic wear, so he must be from the local team. He’s wearing a tight-fitting athletic shirt that shows off his arms, and the sweatpants show off a hockey player’s best _ass_et. And that ass. That ass should be illegal. 

He’s out there with a stick and puck, chasing it up and down the ice. She steps on the ice, continuing to eye him as she starts her warm-ups. She needs to practice her routine for the rink’s Christmas show, but the stranger is distracting her. 

Never mind. She’ll just have to ignore him. The show is in two weeks, she doesn’t have time to waste. She plugs in her earbuds, and starts her routine. 

The stranger keeps skating laps, chasing the puck up and down the ice, never getting in her way.

At the end of the hour, they head off the ice and don’t say a word as they clean their skates, pack up, and leave.

*

It becomes a pattern. 

She does her routine, he does his…whatever. They never say anything, just share the ice and give the occasional nod. After a week of this, Kelsey has had enough.

As they clean and store their skates, Kelsey says, “Hey. I’m Kelsey.” She offers him a winning smile, one that she hope compensates for the sweat clinging to her temples and neck. 

The guy looks up, and _dear god_ what a smile. It’s bright and toothy and wide, and he says, “I’m Ryan.” 

“You play for the Bees?” 

“Yeah, that’s us! Buzz buzz!” He laughs at himself, shrugging like he’s embarrassed. “Sorry, that’s…” He looks back down at his skates. 

“No, it’s fine. It’s nice to meet you.” 

“Yeah, same. I’ve seen you in a couple shows. You’re pretty good.” His voice has a bright, almost nasal quality to it. Kelsey likes it.

“Thank you! I used to skate a lot as a kid, but, uh…I’m just picking it back up now.”

“Maybe you should pick me up,” Ryan says. “Well, see you around.” He shoulders his bag and throws her another grin.

“Yeah, see you.” 

She blinks at her skates. _Was he flirting?_

*

And so it goes. They skate in silence, flirt before saying goodbye. It’s nice, it’s fun. Harmless. Or it would be, if Kelsey didn’t find herself with a rapidly building crush on this guy. And really, who could blame her? He’s fit, has a fantastic smile, and really is very nice. In the past week, she’s learned he works at a media company, he graduated college with a digital cinema degree and would like to make movies one day, he started playing for the Bees to encourage him to stay in shape, and he believes in ghosts. 

In turn, she’s told him about her graphic design job, that she works part-time for the rink as a yoga instructor and figure skating coach, and that she has a YouTube gaming channel. The last bit she regrets _immediately_, because he says, “I’m going to make sure and watch every video.”

“Oh no!” she giggles, covering her face with her hands.

“I’ll edit a supercut of the best bits, just to prove it!” He laughs, that bright, cheerful sound she likes more and more with every passing day.

“It’s a lot of Sims,” she warns. 

“Have you made yourself a Sim? Of course you have, every Sim player does. Do you have a Sim boyfriend? Or, wait, maybe a Sim girlfriend?” 

She shakes her head, still giggling. “No, no Sim boyfriend or girlfriend.” 

He stops laughing. “What about real life?”

She stops laughing, too, a little flutter in her heart. “No,” she says softly, “Not in real life either.”

“Good.” It’s short, almost a grunt. Suddenly he’s up and almost gone.

“Wait—wait, Ryan!” she calls after him.

“Yeah?” he stops in the door, looking over his shoulder.

“Are you coming to the show tomorrow?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” He grins and waves goodbye as he walks out the door.

*

The night of the show, Kelsey huddles in the chilly “backstage” (actually the locker rooms) with all the other performers. The theme of the show is “North Pole,” which means it’s very easy to choreograph dances for all ages. 

There’s a group of precschoolers doing a simple routine to “I want a hippopotamus for Christmas” and a group of intermediate students doing a routine to “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer” and on and on. 

Their set is mostly cardboard and Styrofoam, a simple castle cutout, flat against the wall in front of the boxes in front of the locker rooms. They lined with walls with peppermints and lollypops made of Styrofoam plates stapled together front to front to make the proper shape. Someone painted overlarge snowflakes on the glass walls of the rink. There is a north pole, a large cardboard tube settled on top of a rubber cone, painted red and white stripes. 

Kelsey’s number is near the end, with the rest of the skilled adults and instructors. Hers is done to “Santa Baby” (the Eartha Kitt version, of course, because that is the only acceptable version) and her costume is red velvet with white fur trim. Not very creative, maybe, but cute. Her number is flirty and fun, and finishes it with a kiss blown to the audience. She really, really hopes Ryan sees it and knows that she sort of meant it for him.

After the show, parents collect their children and YB and Evan and she start working to take down decorations and Zamboni the rink and clean up. Long after everyone has gone home, Kelsey finally gets to change into sweats and a big sweater. Her hair is still stiff with hairspray and glitter, her makeup still garishly red. Her cheeks ache from the hours of fake smiling. 

Ryan is waiting for her in the lobby. He stands up when she walks in, hands tucked into the pockets of his fleece jacket, a soft orange beanie letting just the front tuft of hair hang over his forehead.

“Ryan! I didn’t know you were here, you could have gone home—”

“I wanted to see you.” He’s smiling. He always is. “You were really good.”

“Thanks! And the kids were good, and…yeah. It was good.”

They’re standing face to face now, her with her bag over her shoulder, him with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. 

“Look, this might be presumptuous of me, but…would you like to go out sometime?” He looks up, a little shy, eyes wide and warm. 

Her heart pounds, and she feels herself smiling, for real this time. “Yes! I’d love to.” 

He breaks into his signature giant grin, lighting up like a Christmas tree. “What are you doing right now?”

“Right now? I’m planning on going home and taking a shower. I feel like I’m a painted doll.”

“That’s fair,” he giggles. “Well, let me get your number and I’ll text you, ok?”

They swap numbers, and he walks her to her car, even offering to carry her bag for her. He stays with her right to her door, where she leans on the side of her car, reluctant to say goodnight. 

“I have a confession,” he says.

“Oh?”

“I’ve seen you practicing, or like, around the rink…and I figured out when you practiced so I could meet you. That’s why I started coming so early. Normally I’m not out and about by that time. Normally I’m not _awake_ at that time.”

She finds herself laughing, endeared at this silly man and his bashful smile and kind eyes. “Did it work?”

“I’d say so, yes!”

“Good.” She leans upward and presses a kiss to the corner of his mouth, leaving the smallest smear of red. “Goodnight, Ryan. Merry Christmas.”

His mouth is open slightly, and he swallows. “Merry Christmas, Kelsey.” 

“I’ll see you soon?” She opens her car door.

“Yeah. Soon.” He steps back, smiling again. 

She drives home smiling.

**Author's Note:**

> As a kid, the ice rink I skated at used to do a Christmas show with all the figure skating levels, so that's what this is based on. Also, Ryan's team is called the Bees because BUZZfeed. 
> 
> Tumblr @stillusesapencil


End file.
